Retrospective Study of Tapered One-Piece Implants Placed Over a Ten-Year Period in a Single Private Practice
Today, clinicians have a variety of treatment modalities available to address the increasing number of implant procedures performed each year. Single-stage implant surgery is now commonly used in implant dentistry. With patients' demands for immediate restoration, the utilization of 1-piece implants is gaining acceptance. This article reports the results of tapered 1-piece implants (Zimmer Biomet) placed in a single practice over a 10-year period. A total of 33 1-piece dental implants were placed in 24 patients and provisionally restored out of occlusion at the time of surgery. All 33 implants were definitively restored with ceramometal crowns after 3 months of provisionalization. Implant survival and success rates were 100% after 2.6–10 years of follow-up. Only 1 minor complication of crestal bone remodeling occurred among the 33 implants placed. Adequately stabilized tapered 1-piece implants can be successfully restored out of occlusion at the time of implant placement and definitively loaded in occlusion 3 months without adversely affecting function or esthetics. Additional long-term controlled studies are recommended to further understand these findings.
Figure 1. Preoperative view of one of the subjects. Edentulous space area of maxillary right lateral incisor. Figure 2. Periapical radiograph showing minimal interradicular space allowing for a 3-mm diameter 1-piece tapered implant. Figure 3. Full thickness mucoperiosteal flap was raised to allow for access to implant osteotomy site. Figure 4. One-piece implant on delivery holder marker indicating facial margin of the abutment. Figure 5. Tapered 1-piece implant placed with lower facial margin of the abutment placed 1 mm above the crestal bone. Figure 6. Plastic sleeve contoured to a provisional placed on the implant abutment to allow for precise marginal fit.
Figure 7. Closure with 5-0 chromic gut suture after cementation of the provisional restoration. Figure 8. Snap-on impression coping in place immediately prior to impression. Figure 9. Final insertion of porcelain fused to metal ceramic restoration. Figure 10. View showing intraoral adjustment of abutment by utilizing a 702 bur to reduce the facial component on prosthetic portion of the implant. Figure 11. Pattern Resin LS constructed intraorally on abutment during any modifications to create a transfer jig. Figure 12. Pattern Resin LS transfer jig placed on the prefabricated dye to allow for modification prior to wax up. Figure 13. If 1-piece implant abutments were adjusted, the temporary sleeves were modified intraorally prior to provisional fabrication.
and 15. Figure 14. Pie figure illustrating number of mandibular implants vs maxillary implants placed in this study. Figure 15. Bar figure illustrating the breakdown of males to females and age groups in the study.
Postoperative radiograph of final restoration of the 1-piece implant.
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